Handbag, Shoe Designer Shares Passion for Fashion

Professional handbag designer Jennifer Siletski of Springfield always enjoyed sharing her passion for fashion design with her daughter as the two created projects together in their home.

Fast forward 20 years and Siletski has combined her love for fashion and instructing  and is currently the owner and director of the New Jersey School of Fashion Design & Accessories.

The fourth-generation artisan, who received her formal education at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, the New York School of Interior Design, and the Arts Student League, holds degrees in Textile Design, Accessories Design and Fine Arts

She has recently expanded the school’s offerings to include a New York Fashion Accessories Camp (NYFAC), which starts Monday in the heart of Manhattan's Fashion District.

By the end of the one-week program, each student will learn to make a new handbag and pair of shoes which they can take home with them.

The New York Fashion Accessories Camp is unique, said Siletski in a press release, because it is the only camp in the tri-state area where teens ages 14-18 learn patternmaking skills for handbags and shoes which take campers from concept to finished product.

“Campers spend their mornings in intensive hands-on studio classes, working alongside master craftspeople and professionals in the handbag and shoe industries,” she explained in the release. “The afternoons will be spent experiencing the industry first-hand. To achieve the program's goals, campers are taken from concept to finished product that includes execution, illustration and most importantly, patternmaking on a par with the leading fashion colleges in NYC."

Other upcoming summer classes include:

·      Sandal Making Workshops July 28 and Aug. 4 in Springfield

·      A two-day Handbag Workshop Aug. 11 and 18 in Springfield

·      A Handbag Camp Aug. 22-27 in Deal

·      Shoe and Handbag Classes held after school and on weekends begin in September.

 Students who've studied with Siletski look forward to learning more from the instructor and honing their skills. 

"I have studied with Jenn for five years," said Carly Bayroff, 16, of Scotch Plains, in the release. "I love coming back. How many people can say 'thanks, I made it' when getting a compliment on a bag they are wearing. Completing a handbag is such a rewarding feeling and all you want to do is show it off."

For more information on the New York Fashion Accessories Camp, visit www.nyfashionaccessoriescamp.com. For information on programs  at the New Jersey School of Fashion Design & Accessories, contact Siletski at jenn@nyfashionaccessoriescamp.com.